Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-03-07-Speech-1-248-000"
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"en.20110307.27.1-248-000"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I should like to start by expressing my deep gratitude to the shadow rapporteurs for their kind cooperation on this report. It has become a very ambitious report. I would like to touch on a few of the important points, but I will not shrink from mentioning the controversial aspects either.
We have a huge protein deficit in the European Union. Eighty percent of our protein crop requirement is imported, and I regret to say that this tendency is increasing. That means that we are using around 20 million hectares of arable land in other countries or, to put it another way, outsourcing 10% of our arable land to other countries for the cultivation of protein crops. One reason for this is the Blair House Agreement that was concluded in the early 1990s, which had a huge adverse effect on the competitiveness of European protein crops. That is the reason why our market has been flooded with cheap soya. There has been a 30% decline in protein crop cultivation in the European Union in the case of leguminous plants, and now only 3% of European arable land is used for growing protein crops. In Germany, the figure is just 1%.
Production in Europe has reached a critical point that puts research and development of European protein crops at risk. Political measures are required to promote a return to the growing of protein crops in Europe; otherwise, we will fall below a threshold that endangers the very survival of protein crop cultivation in Europe. In so doing, we would also lose the positive effects of protein crops, particularly the sensible organisation of crop rotation in agriculture.
European protein crop cultivation has huge potential. One point we have stated is that fair competition must be restored; in other words, the Blair House Agreement must be brought into question and ultimately abolished.
However, we feel that the most important thing is for the growing of protein crops to be given an important central role in future in the reform of the common agricultural policy, because it offers many advantages for a reformed agricultural policy. It is important for protecting our waters and our climate, and it is important for biodiversity. I would like to mention just one example. Growing leguminous plants is very important for binding CO
. It can minimise imports or the use of mineral nitrogen. We would therefore like to see the growing of leguminous plants being made a permanent component of future crop rotation in the common agricultural policy and being rooted in the first pillar.
We also feel it is important to reduce our dependence on imports and thus, ultimately to ensure that Europe can produce meat without imports. Europe has moved into second place worldwide where imports are concerned. China is in first place and now imports more protein than the European Union. We therefore have a competitor in this area.
Having stated this as a central objective, however, we need to be aware that certain matters included in the vote in the report are questionable; namely, the creation of import concessions for soya by questioning the zero tolerance policy. That has no place in this report, and it is even counterproductive to include it in this report. We are trying to encourage the growing of European protein crops, not to facilitate imports. This must be made clear to everyone.
If we are serious about this report, then we must agree accordingly to remove these points from the report; otherwise – and I openly admit this – I will have a problem with my name being associated with this report."@en1
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